As leaders of an organization that is deeply committed to improving the health of our communities and advancing health worldwide, we deplore a proposed rule by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that would change “public charge” policies and greatly expand the conditions under which an immigrant applying for legal permanent residency (a green card) or seeking to immigrate into the U.S. can be denied.

I am bringing this to the attention of the UCSF community because it attacks our deeply held values of health equality and dignity for all peoples. U.S. immigration law has always barred immigrants at risk of becoming a dependent on certain public assistance from immigrating to the United States. However, acceptance of public health and nutritional benefits has been permitted since the 1990s. This proposal would bring sweeping change.

Under the proposed rule, the federal government would newly consider the use of certain public benefits – including non-emergency Medicaid, Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and various housing support programs – in determining an individual’s entry into the U.S. or adjustment to legal permanent resident status. In addition, medical conditions that are likely to require extensive hospitalization or institutionalization (cancer, heart failure, kidney failure, dementia, and many others) will weigh heavily against uninsured immigrant applicants.

We are against this proposed regulation for several reasons, including:

We write to share the sad news that Alexander (Alex) R. Margulis, MD, former chair of the Department of Radiology and steadfast member of the UCSF community, passed away on Friday, September 7, at the age of 97.

Alex was a visionary radiologist. During his 26-year tenure as chair of the Department of Radiology, UCSF rose to international prominence in imaging research, clinical care, and education. Throughout this period of unparalleled discovery and innovation, UCSF became a top destination for leaders interested in enhancing the roles of digital imaging techniques.

Alex was a risk-taker. He invested in untested ideas, supporting the dreams of his faculty who went on to make astounding contributions to imaging in modalities including CT, MRI, ultrasound, ultrafast CT, PET CT, and SPECT CT. Under Alex’s leadership, the department acquired the second head CT scanner in any academic institution in the U.S. He was truly a man ahead of his time, and his vision for the future of imaging and image-guided therapy would ultimately shape the field of radiology at UCSF and beyond.

Alex was a beloved mentor and colleague. Innumerable radiologists and scientists who were trained and mentored by Alex went on to lead outstanding academic institutions across the U.S. and abroad. UCSF was deeply important to Alex; he maintained close ties over the years, attending the gala event of the UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging’s alumni organization – the UCSF Margulis Society – and serving as mentor and colleague to many members of the UCSF faculty.

We are writing to share a brief summary of results of the 2018 UCSF Staff Engagement Survey and next steps. Thank you to the nearly 70 percent of staff who voiced your opinions in this important survey, which helps us understand our progress toward our shared goal of making UCSF a great place to work.

Staff engagement appears to have plateaued with a slight increase in overall engagement. Our grand mean score, on a five-point scale, increased .01 from 3.93 in 2017 to 3.94 in 2018. While this is an improvement, we remain far from our goal to be among the best organizations in the country.

On the positive side, two of the areas that employees scored the highest were related to our mission and to our commitment to doing quality work. We also learned that those units that actively engaged their employees in discussing last year’s results, and how to improve, had significant improvements in their scores.

The survey also identified areas that need attention. Of most concern, Black and Hispanic staff generally had lower engagement scores than Whites and Asians, and staff who are represented by unions generally felt less engaged than other staff. This is antithetical to our values at UCSF and something we intend to address fully this year.

We are extremely troubled by the growing humanitarian crisis on our nation’s southern border, where children are forcibly separated from their parents.

In a statement released yesterday, University of California President Janet Napolitano said that this latest crisis is “further indication of the urgent need for a real conversation around immigration reform.” She stressed that “our nation of immigrants is made stronger by its diversity. Congress and the administration must come together to pass legislation that reflects the values of our country, ensures the safety of our borders and provides a resolution for those brought to the United States as children who only know this country as home.”

On behalf of the leadership of UCSF, I want to convey my strongest support for President Napolitano’s statement and express solidarity with our colleagues at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine regarding the harmful consequence of separating children from their parents.

As we have stated repeatedly, a core tenet at UCSF, as well as UC overall, is that our strength as a public university stems from a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion, and welcomes and respects every individual regardless of immigration status. UCSF remains committed to providing compassionate care to children and fulfilling our efforts to foster an...

It is with sadness that we share the news that Lloyd “Holly” Smith, Jr., MD, professor and chairman emeritus of the UCSF Department of Medicine, passed away yesterday at home at the age of 94. Holly was a luminary in the fields of medical education and research, and his absence will be felt not only at UCSF but well beyond.

When Holly joined UCSF in 1964 as the chairman of the Department of Medicine, there were only fifty full-time members (it now numbers approximately 750). He led the department through a period of exceptional and unprecedented growth, recruiting and mentoring faculty in record numbers, many of whom went on to be outstanding leaders in their fields.

Known for his witty aphorisms, Holly once said, “Experiment. Take some chances. Remember the Peter Pan Principle, ‘most things peter out but some will pan out.’” Undoubtedly, many of UCSF’s greatest successes were realized as a direct result of Holly’s innovative ideas and unwavering devotion to leading by example.

Despite receiving innumerable awards and accolades throughout his career, Holly always emphasized his debt to his colleagues and UCSF for his successes. His humble nature, humor, and grace are exemplified by the recipients of the annual Lloyd Holly Smith Award for Exceptional Service to the School of Medicine, established in 2000 to recognize outstanding career service that has resulted in broad and long-lasting benefit to the School of Medicine. To learn more about Holly’s remarkable life and career,...

I’m pleased to announce two new options for adult and pediatric care in the East Bay, for you and other UCSF Health patients. This is especially important at a time when more people are looking for convenient, outpatient locations to receive their health care.

Berkeley Outpatient Center
Yesterday was the opening of the Berkeley Outpatient Center, our first jointly operated and staffed facility with John Muir Health. The center is located near the UC Berkeley campus and offers adult specialty and primary care, urgent care, and lab and imaging services. Specialties available now are dermatology, neurosurgery, neurology, ophthalmology (including the UC Berkeley Optometry and Optical Shop), orthopedics, gastrointestinal, rheumatology, and urology. Additional specialties will be added in the coming months.

We’ve had a long-standing partnership with John Muir Health, and the facility enables both organizations’ clinicians to work together to provide high-quality care under one roof in an easily accessible location for patients in the East Bay.

The center also expands opportunities for care within the Canopy Health network, which already has more than 5,000 doctors, dozens of care centers and numerous hospitals across seven Bay Area counties. You can read more about the Berkeley Outpatient Center in this press release and at its website.

I am pleased to announce June 2018 as UCSF Alumni Month, an opportunity for our community to honor the accomplishments, dedication, and generosity of UCSF’s remarkable alumni.

This month of celebration kicks off tomorrow with UCSF Alumni Weekend and the presentation of the 2018 Campaign Alumni Awards. Twelve award recipients were selected from 125 nominations by a committee of fourteen alumni volunteers. Through the rest of June, join us on social media as we welcome our newest graduates, share alumni stories, and give thanks using #UCSFAlumniMonth.

The generations of professionals who trained here have shaped our institution, and today, UCSF is the largest employer of UCSF alumni. They also are key to a strong future for UCSF through their ongoing support and advocacy.

On behalf of the entire UCSF community, I extend my deepest gratitude to the more than 67,000 alumni who have helped form the character of the university and who share UCSF’s knowledge and values with the world.

To learn more about our outstanding alumni community, please visit the new alumni website at alumni.ucsf.edu.

This week’s labor strike was a trying time for UCSF. It was difficult for everyone: our patients, those who came to work as usual, those on the picket lines, and those who volunteered after hours.

Our services ran smoothly to the extent possible, and throughout the strike employees across UCSF functioned as a team. In addition, we were able to provide safe, quality care to those with urgent needs that could not be postponed.

Over the next few weeks, UCSF Health will continue to feel the impact of the strike due to the need to accommodate those who had procedures, appointments, and treatments rescheduled.

We acknowledge that as everyone returns to work, there will be differences of opinion and conflicting feelings about the strike. However, we can all unite around our shared missions of patient care, research, and education and values of professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence.

Today and every day, we encourage unity and mutual respect. We remain committed with the UC Office of the President as well as other UC campuses and medical centers to finding a resolution to the issues that gave rise to this labor action.

We have received notice from several unions that they will strike or participate in a sympathy strike at UCSF and across the University of California (UC) system beginning the week of May 7, ending May 10, 2018. Please read below for more details.

We value our employees and respect their rights to representation and freedom of speech; that said, striking is a serious matter, especially when it directly affects vital public services such as patient care. Every day, our patients entrust their lives to us, and in turn, we are responsible for ensuring that they receive the highest quality care in a safe and secure environment.

At all times, our top priorities are ensuring the safety and security of the entire UCSF community – faculty, staff, learners, patients and visitors.

We hope for an amicable resolution to the ongoing labor negotiations that have been underway for the past year with six unions. The UC Office of the President is conducting negotiations on behalf of the entire UC system, which is committed to reaching a negotiated agreement on compensation and benefits with all unions.

We have created a contingency plan to support our ongoing work and to minimize the strike’s impact. Even so, we expect disruptions to various services across the campus, particularly at UCSF Health, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, and the UCSF Dental Center.

More information about operational impacts and important bargaining updates will be posted at the In the Know website next week.

On April 24, you will receive an invitation to participate in the 2018 UCSF Staff Engagement Survey. This survey is important for helping us understand the progress toward our shared goal of making UCSF a great place to work.

Since 2011, Gallup has conducted five engagement surveys at UCSF. Over the years, you and your managers have worked hard to develop and implement action plans across departments and units, which have resulted in a steady increase in overall staff engagement.

I am pleased to share a few highlights of our recent findings and progress. You can read more about the survey and activities across the university in Pulse of UCSF.

Following the 2015 survey, we prioritized opportunities for staff professional development, and these efforts were reflected as our greatest improvements in the 2017 survey.

Last year, we launched UCSF Recognize, an online platform to spotlight colleagues and thank them for their excellent work, further enhancing a culture of appreciation and engagement.

To build a unified and collaborative community at UCSF, the campus formally embraced the core PRIDE Values of professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity, and excellence, already adopted within UCSF Medical Center.

In order to continue our collective progress, your participation in the 2018 Staff Engagement Survey is essential....